World's Biggest Studio Choir

The German football club DSC Arminia Bielefeld celebrated the 75th anniversary of their stadium, a…
The German football club DSC Arminia Bielefeld celebrated the 75th anniversary of their stadium, and Ladage Media had the idea to compose a new hymn for the club, sung by as many fans as possible. The expected four-figure attendance number would be too big for any existing recording studio, so we hired Bielefeld's Town Hall and transformed it into a giant studio and registered with Guinness World Records to attempt to assemble the biggest recording studio choir in the world.

The day was extremely successful, and we provided an entertaining 4-hour show that culminated in the appearance of celebrity comedian Ingolf Lück. While Guinness World Records ultimately did not accept the new record category, the event created a huge media buzz: Local newspapers printed extra colour pages, still a rarity in these days, and five regional and national TV stations plus a few radio stations covered the event.

My role in this event was two-fold:
  • As Head of Recording, I planned the complete production and oversaw a team of sound engineers on the day.
  • As Choirmaster, I conducted 1,400 football fans and taught them the new song, liaising closely with the composer Mathias Mersch.
Ultimately, my role as choirmaster turned out to be a performance of 2x 30 minutes, which was broadcast on national television in Germany. I was interviewed by regional TV and radio stations and sat on the panel of the event's press conference.

A few weeks later, the song was presented at the stadium festival, where the band, the producer and myself performed in front of 12,000 fans.

My fondest memory of the recording event is the moment when star comedian Ingolf Lück called me on stage and the audience erupted into a massive cheerful applause.